20. Dario #3
With Mia’s small hand in mine, I smile down at her, unable to believe this is finally happening.
Her hazel eyes meet mine, and while the priest drones on about who the fuck knows what, I trace her cheek with my thumb and brush back a strand of her hair.
She’s pulled it back into an intricate design that I’m guessing Nat is responsible for, and it shows off the graceful lines of her neck and the piercings that decorate her ears.
The small diamond stud in her nose is cute as hell, and every time I see it I remember the one that’s right between her legs.
God, this woman drives me crazy, every single thing about her is my idea of perfect, and when she says I do , I feel my throat tighten and my eyes grow wet as I struggle to not break down and cry in front of both our families.
When it’s time to exchange the rings, she slips the gold band back on my finger where it belongs, and I slide the very simple, thin gold band onto hers.
Before we finish that part of the ceremony, I give her a wink and pull a gold chain from my pocket.
I’ve already attached the diamond ring to it, and she gives me a big, beautiful smile when she sees it.
Leaning closer, I put the necklace on her so the large diamond rests right between her breasts.
“Now you won’t hurt your hand when you throw a punch, amore ,” I tell her.
She rests her hand on the diamond ring and smiles up at me. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”
I nod to the priest, who then pronounces us husband and wife, telling me I can kiss my bride.
The smile she gives me lights up her whole face as I lean down to kiss her.
I’m all set to be a gentleman, but as soon as she gives a soft moan and swipes her tongue over mine, all bets are off.
With a groan I kiss her hard, surprised when she grabs the back of my neck, pulling me tighter against her.
I laugh against her lips when our families start cheering, and she gives one more sexy moan before I force myself to pull back.
“You’re terrible,” I whisper against her lips. “And I can’t believe I let myself get hard in front of both our families.”
She laughs and pats my face. “Yeah, that really sucks for you.”
When she tries to turn towards everyone, I quickly say, “Oh, no you don’t, little viper,” and scoop her into my arms bridal style.
“I can’t believe you’re using me to hide your hard-on,” she whispers near my ear .
“You bet your sweet ass I am, and I doubt it’ll be the last time.” I swing her around to face everyone, laughing when her dress lifts up enough to reveal what she’s wearing on her feet. “Did you seriously marry me in your green Converse?”
Not missing a beat, she pats my cheek and says, “You bet your sweet ass I did. Those heels were fun, but they hurt my feet. Besides, I like how much taller you are than me.”
I smile down at her, feeling like the luckiest bastard alive. “Me too, amore. ”
When I’ve gotten myself under control, I set her down so she can start hugging everyone.
My brother quickly pulls me in for a hug, and then Mia and I are both passed around while everyone congratulates us.
Even though there are several bodies in between us, I know where my wife is at all times, and I’m guessing that’s never going to change.
Some part of me will always be aware of her, and when she looks over, I give her a wink and smile at the way it makes her blush.
When she turns back around to hug Evgeny, I see the dragon tattoo that’s exposed on her back and shoulder, and it drives me crazy, just like it always does.
“Welcome to the family,” I hear Sasha say before he surprises me with a hug. Chort is in his room since there are so many kids here, but I’m sure he’ll bring him out on a leash later because it’s obvious he doesn’t like to be separated from him.
“Thanks, Sasha,” I tell him, returning the hug to the unhinged man who’s now my brother-in-law.
He smacks my back and says, “Don’t worry. She’s been assigned to work with me when we get back to the city, and you know I won’t let anything happen to her.”
Relieved, I step back and give him a grin. “Thank fuck.”
“Thank fuck for what?”
I turn at the sound of my wife’s voice. Wrapping an arm around her, I pull her closer for the simple pleasure of having her body next to mine.
I crave the feel of her in a way that defies logic.
I can’t ever seem to get my fill of her, and I know I never will.
I’ll always need more, always want more, so that means I’ll use any excuse to get my hands on her, any reason to feel her skin against mine.
“Your brother was just telling me that you’ve been assigned to work with him,” I tell her.
Her smile is beautiful when she looks up at us and says, “I know. It’s going to be awesome.”
Sasha grins and gives her a hug before walking back to the house to check on his dog.
Val and Yel come over to tell us congratulations, and I grin when I see how big her pregnant belly is getting.
Val’s like me, always wanting to touch his wife, so I’m not at all surprised to see that his arm is wrapped around her, resting on her stomach.
“Thanks for flying in,” I tell them. “I know you’re getting close to the point where you shouldn’t be on a plane.”
Yel laughs and pats Val’s hand. “I’m fine, but he still worried the whole flight and made Tony sit next to us.”
“Max was the same way,” Talia says, slowly making her way over with her stomach leading the way.
“I will never apologize for that, svetik moy ,” he says before wrapping his arms around her from behind so she can lean her head back against his chest.
I’d been so worried that Mia would be sad being around all her pregnant cousins, but my little viper is stronger than I gave her credit for.
She smiles and laughs at the stories they’re telling her, and when Sveta and Vitya walk over with their twins, Mia reaches out and grabs the closest one.
My mom grabbed their daughter as soon as the ceremony ended, and when I look across the yard, I can see her holding Samantha’s little hand while she shows her the flowers near the house.
I grin when I see Isabella run over to join them.
“You’re getting so big, Jake,” Mia says. The baby in her arms smiles up at her while I try not to be what she calls an annoying, hovering nursemaid by reminding her that she’s not supposed to lift anything heavy.
As if she can read my mind, she looks up and grins. “He’s not very heavy at all, barely weighs anything. ”
“That’s not for lack of trying,” Sveta says. “These two would be happy to nurse 24/7 if they could.”
“She’s not lying,” Vitya says. “I don’t know how she does it.”
“It’s not like I have a choice. They start screaming, and the milk just starts coming.
I have no control over my body.” She looks down at Seryozha and runs her finger along his chubby cheek.
“They’re lucky they’re so cute and it’s impossible for me to get irritated with them.
” He looks up at his mom and gives her a big gummy smile.
“That’s sweet,” Mia says, “but also really gross. No more talk about milky boobs.”
The others laugh, more than used to Mia’s squeamishness about certain things, but when I look over, I see Luka giving Lara a heated look and a quick wink.
It appears Mia’s cousin doesn’t share her views on the grossness of milky boobs , and as soon as Mira starts fussing, he doesn’t waste any time in helping Lara inside so she can feed their daughter.
Niki, Damien, and Evgeny come over to join our group, and when we’re all together, I hear the unmistakeable smartass voice of Vitaly Melnikov, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. “There’s my niece and the man she swore she wasn’t interested in.”
Mia hands Jake back to Vitya and then returns her uncle’s boisterous hug.
Vitaly lets her go and then points a finger at her.
“You lied to me. I forgive you because you’re family and I love you, but you lied to me.
” He takes on a higher pitch, trying to mimic her when he says, “No, of course I’m not going to Italy to have hot sex with the Italian who’s twice my age. I’m not Nat.”
“First, that doesn’t sound anything like me,” Mia says, but it’s obvious she’s trying not to laugh. “And second, I’m not going to comment on the rest of it.”
Vitaly grins. “As soon as Jolene popped you out, I knew you were going to be a handful. I could see it in your eyes. Those are my brother’s genes at work.”
Lev hears Vitaly and walks over, and when his brother sees him, he laughs and wraps an arm around Vitya’s shoulders. “If you want to borrow my Russian son-in-law for a bit and pretend he’s yours, I’ll allow it.”
Vitya rolls his eyes and scoffs out a laugh before saying something in Russian that makes Sveta cover Seryozha’s ears while Vitaly’s mouth drops open in mock horror.
“I can’t believe you kiss my sweet daughter with that mouth,” Vitaly says.
Sveta grins, “He does a lot of things with that mouth.”
Vitaly groans and covers his ears. “Jesus, don’t say things like that.”
Sveta just laughs and nudges her twin brother. “I’m finally getting payback for all the years of inappropriate comments and public displays of affection.”
“That’s different,” Vitaly insists. “Your mom and I were showing you the importance of a loving marriage.”
“This is a loving marriage,” Sveta says, leaning against her husband.
“And you’re my daughter, so you can’t tell me anything sexual. Ever. Samantha is a precious gift, and as far as I’m concerned, Jake and Seryozha were immaculately conceived. End of story.”
Before he can get too sidetracked, he looks over at me and says, “I couldn’t bring a cake for your wedding because of the long flight, but your mom and I hit a few bakeries the other day, and holy shit, I might move to Italy.”
“I’m glad you’re getting along so well with my mother,” I tell him. “She loves cooking for people.”
“She hated me at first because of the whole Russian Bratva thing,” he says, waving a hand in the air like it’s no biggie, “but I warmed my way into her heart when I cleaned my plate and asked for seconds.”
“And then thirds,” Katya says, walking over to kiss her smiling husband.
My dad gets everyone’s attention with several bottles of wine, and it isn’t long before we’re all raising a glass and drinking to my beautiful bride and our amazing future.
We spend the next few hours celebrating with everyone as the sun dips lower in the sky and the salty breeze drifts up from the coast. Pulling Mia into my lap, I bring my face to her neck and breathe in her scent.
“Today is perfect, amore, ” I tell her.
With everyone else laughing and talking, she leans in so her mouth is by my ear. “I hate that I’m still not healed. We can’t even consummate our marriage.”
“It’s consummated in every way that matters, amore .
You’re my wife, and it’s not just pretend this time.
My ring is on your finger, you have my last name, my heart, my body, and my soul.
” I kiss her neck and give it a teasing bite.
“And you’ll have my cock inside you as soon as the doctor says you’re healed.
Enjoy your break, piccola vipera , because as soon as I’m allowed back inside you, I may never leave. ”
“I may never let you leave,” she says, making me smile, and then she gives the saddest-sounding sigh. “I really miss your dick.”
A deep laugh comes out of me before I can stop it.
“It misses you, too, baby, believe me.” I nip at the crook of her neck and say, “Not too much longer, little viper. We can survive this, because as long as we have each other, we can survive anything.” I kiss her soft skin and add, “Don’t worry.
I’m still going to make you come so hard tonight you’ll see stars, and then I’m going to do it again and again and again. ”
She gives an approving hum, and then lets out a soft sigh when she feels me growing hard under her ass.
“That would make me feel a little better about things,” she says, wiggling in my lap just enough to drive me crazy.
“Soon, amore, ” I promise, and then I give her another kiss and wrap my arms even tighter around her while our families turn up the music and use the veranda as a dance floor.
I never thought in a million years that I’d ever get married, but now that I have my wife in my arms, I can’t imagine ever going back to a time before her.
The very idea has me squeezing her even tighter.
Mia is a handful in the best possible way.
She’s never going to take a backseat or quietly stay on the sidelines where it’s safe.
No, her cute ass is always going to find a way to be at the very center of any trouble she can sniff out.
I know this about her. I know she’s always going to keep me on my toes, that I’ll constantly worry about her, and that boring will never be a word I’ll use to describe our marriage, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My little viper might be dangerous and unpredictable, but she’s also the bravest, most determined person I’ve ever met. She’s loyal to her core, and when she gives her heart to someone, it’s for life.
I’ll never cease to be grateful and amazed that I’m the man she chose to give it to. I don’t deserve her. I never will. But I’m hers. Every single part of me, for the rest of my life, will only ever be hers.